North Korea has decided to skip the Tokyo Olympics this summer due to coronavirus fears. It will be the first Summer Olympics that the North has missed since 1988, when they were held in Seoul.

Sexist comments made by the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee sparked a petition calling for action against him. The 83-year-old caused an uproar by saying that women talked too much in meetings.

The organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics estimated that the one-year delay of the events will cost about 200 billion yen, several sources said on Sunday. The committee, the Japanese government and the host city Tokyo are planning to decide in December how to share the burden.

The top soccer league in Germany resumed on Saturday behind closed doors amid strict distancing measures. However, recent polls showed that a majority of the people were against the restart, accusing authorities of prioritizing money over people’s health.

USA Track and Field, the governing body of American athletics, on Friday asked for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics to be postponed, citing concerns about the safety of their athletes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Greek Olympic committee suspended the rest of its torch relay on Friday after an unexpectedly large crowd gathered to watch despite requests for the public to stay away amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike showed an apparent expression of displeasure on Friday over the International Olympic Committee’s abrupt decision to move the marathon and race walking events next year to the northern city of Sapporo in order to avoid the extreme summer heat in the capital.

Japan shocked the rugby world again on Saturday with a stunning come-from-behind victory over No 2-ranked Ireland in the 2019 World Cup. The second straight win in Pool A has given the host nation a strong chance of reaching the knockout stages for the first time ever.

A high school baseball manager created a controversy for resting its ace pitcher in the prefectural final in late July. The school’s failure to reach the prestigious national tournament sparked a debate across Japan on whether a team should put a pitcher’s health ahead of its victory.

Rui Hachimura became the first player from Japan to be selected in the first round draft of the National Basketball Association with the ninth pick by the Washington Wizards in New York on Thursday. His mother is Japanese and his father is from the West African nation of Benin.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka won a dramatic Australian Open final on Saturday after missing three championship points in the second set. Her two straight grand slam titles ensure that she will rise to the new world number one.